Hoenn is based on the island of Kyūshū in Japan and lies to the southwest of Kanto and Johto in the Pokémon world. It is the only sea region so far. (A sea region is a region with a lot of routes you travel by surfing.) According to Pokémon legend, the Hoenn region was formed by the Legendary Land Pokémon Groudon raising the land and the Legendary Ocean Pokémon, Kyogre, expanding the sea. The Hoenn region contains its own Pokémon League called the Hoenn League, and its own Elite Four, unlike Johto and Kanto which share their Elite Four in the video games. Routes in Hoenn are numbered from 101 to 134 and do not follow sequentially from routes in Kanto-Johto, which were numbered 1 to 48.

The Advanced Generation series in the animé occur here, as protagonist Ash Ketchum and company explore this new region featuring more than 100 new Pokémon. In the anime, a Kingdom called the "Mirage Kingdom" is located between routes 111 and 112, this translates to 'Mirage Tower' in the gaming series. LaRousse City, which was the setting for the animated film Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys, is in eastern Hoenn. It is the first Pokémon game to feature a desert-like environment. With the release of Heart Gold and Soul Silver, Hoenn is the only continent in the Pokémon universe not playable on the Nintendo DS.

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Cities and Towns

'Littleroot Town' (Japanese: ミシロタウン,Mishiro Taun, Mishiro Town in Japanese) is a small town with only three buildings, and is the hometown of the protagonist's rival, who is Professor Birch's son or daughter. At the beginning of the story of the games, the protagonist moves into this town. It is based on Sasebo, Nagasaki, in Japan. Among the three buildings is Professor Birch's laboratory. Unlike in the previous Pokémon games, the player does not receive his or her first Pokémon in the lab, but in the tall grass to the north, where the player has to save Professor Birch.

'Oldale Town' (Japanese: コトキタウン,Kotoki Taun, Kotoki Town in Japanese) is the second town that the player visits. It is a minor town, and the first town that the player visits that has a Pokémart and Pokémon Center.

'Petalburg City' (Japanese: トウカシティ,Tōka Shiti, Tōka City in Japanese) is located in the southwest of Hoenn. The gym leader is Norman, the player's father, who uses Normal-type Pokémon. The player first meets Wally here; he catches a Ralts.

'Rustboro City' (Japanese: カナズミシテ,Kanazumi Shiti, Kanazumi City in Japanese) is north of Petalburg City and houses the first gym leader that the player can battle, Roxanne . She specializes in Rock-type Pokémon. It also includes the Devon Corporation, a large company that creates many items for trainers.

'Dewford Town' (Japanese: ムロ島 or ムロタウン,Muro-jima or Muro Taun, Muro Island or Muro Town in Japanese) is the second town that features a gym. The Gym Leader is Brawly, who uses Fighting-type Pokémon.

Near the Pokémon Center is Dewford Hall. Since Dewford Town is so far from the mainland, citizens are always eager to hear the latest news from newcomers. A man outside of the hall will tell the player about the current trendy phrase. If the player says that the current phrase is not the hip and trendy thing, he or she can change it. The trendy phrase affects where Feebas will appear.

'Slateport City' (Japanese: カイナシティ,Kaina Shiti, Kaina City in Japanese) is a large city with a marketplace for Secret Base items and a ferry link to Lilycove City. Slateport City also features the Oceanic Museum, a museum that is full of items and objects recovered from the sea. In the South Central part of Slateport, there is a market, featuring the Energy Guru, who sells the stat-enhancing vitamins (Calcium, Iron, etc.) His daughter beside him tells the player whether their Pokémon is making a good effort, and if they are, will give them a ribbon, the Effort Ribbon. This is in fact a way of telling whether that particular Pokémon has maxed out their Effort Values. Also in the market is a group of women who sell furniture for the player's Secret Base, and will only sell it if the player has the TM Secret Power, or has made a Secret Base.
There are many tiny islands and fast currents around Slateport. Team Aqua or Team Magma steals a submarine from Slateport late in the game.

In Ruby and Sapphire, the Hyper Rank Pokémon Contest is located here. Inside, the player can obtain the PokéBlock Case, which is required to use the Berry Blending machines in the contest halls and also to visit the Safari Zone.

In Emerald, the contest hall has been replaced with a Battle Tent. The player chooses three rental Pokémon to battle with, similar to the Battle Factory. Upon defeating an opponent, the player receives the option to swap one of their rented Pokémon for one of the opponent's rented Pokémon. After defeating three trainers and two possible swaps, the player receives the prize Full Heal, which restores the status of Pokémon.

Mauville also houses a bicycle shop run by Rydel. He is a benevolent shop owner who will give the player a Mach Bike or Acro Bike. The Mach Bike is fast, but it can't do any tricks; the Acro Bike is much slower but can do tricks. Some areas require the use of one of the bikes. Players may exchange one bike for the other at any time.

Mauville also features a Game Corner, similar to that in Celadon City, in Kanto. It features Slots, and Roulette, unlike the original Game Corners in earlier games, which only had Slots. Players can trade the coins they win for dolls and TMs.

During a renovation plan several years before the games' start, Wattson created an underground complex named New Mauville. After beating Norman, players may get the Basement Key from Wattson to complete an optional sidequest. The side quest involves turning off the facility's generator, and if the player succeeds, he or she is rewarded with TM24, Thunderbolt. New Mauville is home to many Pokémon that cannot be found anywhere else, as well as rare items.

Mauville can be compared to Goldenrod City of Johto, as its the "middle-of-world" town, the location of the casino and also the town the player acquires their bike from.

'Verdanturf Town' (Japanese: シダケタウン,Shidake Taun, Shidake Town in Japanese) is a small town with only one major landmark. In Ruby and Sapphire, the Normal Rank Contest Hall is here. In Emerald, it is replaced by a Battle Tent, a test to see how loyal your Pokémon are. The prize is a Nest Ball, obtainable only in Verdanturf.

Verdanturf is also home to Wally's aunt, uncle, and cousin Wanda. After the player defeats him at Mauville City, he resides here until the player defeats Norman before reaching Victory Road.

Verdanturf also has a woman who determines how much a Pokémon likes the player. Friendship is very important for certain evolutions and moves.

Verdanturf Town has an entrance to Rusturf Tunnel, linking it to Rustboro City.

'Fallarbor Town' (Japanese: ハジツゲタウン,Hajitsuge Taun, Hajitsuge Town in Japanese) lies north of Mt. Chimney. Most of its inhabitants work in agriculture; the soil is very fertile because of its high content of volcanic ash. In Ruby and Sapphire, the town is home to the Super Rank Pokémon Contest hall. In Emerald, it is replaced by a Battle Tent.

A Fossil Maniac lives in Fallarbor. In Emerald, after the player defeats the Elite Four, an entrance to the Desert Underpass is inside his house. It stretches under the town and to the desert. The area houses wild Pokémon and the second fossil from the desert.

Professor Cosmo also lives here, after he was ambushed by Team Magma/Aqua, who stole a Meteorite he was studying in Meteorite Falls. He gives the player a TM if it is returned to him.

'Lavaridge Town' (Japanese: フエンタウン,Fuen Taun, Fuen Town in Japanese) is located at the foothills of Mt. Chimney. The Lavaridge Pokémon Center is connected to a hot spring, which is what Lavaridge Town is famous for all over the Hoenn region. An old lady in front of the hot springs will give the player a Pokémon egg, which hatches into Wynaut. The Gym Leader of Lavaridge is Flannery, who uses Fire-types.

Located north of the town is Mt. Chimney. Team Aqua (Sapphire) or Team Magma (Ruby, Emerald) steals a meteorite in an attempt to control the volcano; Magma wants to expand the land (by making it erupt), while Aqua wishes to cool it down so it fills up with water. In either case, once the player defeats the team leader, the respective team leaves the location.

'Fortree City' (Japanese: ヒワマキシティ,Hiwamaki Shiti, Hiwamaki City in Japanese) is a city built atop the trees (everything except the Pokémon Center, the Poké Mart and the Gym), giving it its name. The Gym Leader is Winona, who uses Flying-type Pokémon. Invisible Kecleon are found near here.

West of the city is the Weather Institute. Although it is not technically part of the city, it is still a critical element of the game's plot. Here, scientists have invented the weather-controlling Pokémon, Castform. When Team Magma (Ruby) or Team Aqua (Sapphire, Emerald) invade the facility, the player must fight them off. In Emerald, the Weather Institute will also tell the player of weather disturbances, such as an unusual amount of rain or sunshine, which is where Kyogre and Groudon are.

'Lilycove City' (Japanese: ミナモシティ,Minamo Shiti, Minamo City in Japanese) is a port city in northeast Hoenn. It houses a huge department store, an art museum, and a contest hall. In Ruby and Sapphire, it is the Master Rank Hall, and in Emerald, all Pokémon Contests are located here.

The S.S. Tidal, which was built in Slateport City, operates a ferry service between Lilycove City, Slateport City, and the Battle Tower (Battle Frontier in Emerald). This port can also ship players to special, event-only locations such as Southern Island and Birth Island.

'Mossdeep City' (Japanese: トクサネシティ,Tokusane Shiti, Tokusane City in Japanese) is an island city in the northeast of Hoenn. It is based on Tanegashima, Japan. The Gym Leaders are the twins Tate and Liza, who specialize in Psychic-types.

In Pokémon Emerald, after beating Tate and Liza at the gym, Team Magma will invade the Mossdeep Space Center in an attempt to get rocket fuel. In the final battle, the player will team up with Steven to battle against Maxie, Team Magma's leader, and his subordinate, Admin Tabitha. You can obtain the sun stone in the space center.

Shoal Cave is located north of Mossdeep City. Its most notable feature is the changing tides, which vary by the time of the day.

'Sootopolis City' (Japanese: ルネシティ,Rune Shiti, Rune City in Japanese) is a city built in the cone of an extinct volcano. It is based on Santorini, Greece. The player enters the city for the first time from underwater. The last Gym is located here, as well as the Cave of Origin. If the player follows the plot, his or her first visit to Sootopolis City is during the time the weather in Hoenn has been disrupted by Groudon (Ruby and Emerald) or Kyogre (Sapphire and Emerald), though players can head to Sootopolis City at an earlier time as long as they have received the Dive HM and Mossdeep Gym badge.

'Pacifidlog Town' (Japanese: キナギタウン,Kinagi Taun, Kinagi Town in Japanese) is an isolated settlement in the south of Hoenn. The entire town is said to have been built on top of a colony of Corsola. The town uses wooden planks to connect the buildings together, and as such, the player can neither run nor use his or her bicycle here. Although the town itself contains little of interest, it is in close proximity to the Sealed Chamber, Mirage Island, and Sky Pillar.

Paciflidlog Town is very different in the anime. It is a much larger island town, and it also contains a contest hall, where May competes to get her fifth ribbon.

Mirage Island, to the east of Pacifidlog, only appears when the ID number on one of the player's Pokémon matches the randomly generated number of Mirage Island, which changes every day. Players usually go through the whole game without seeing this mysterious island. Mirage Island contains the only wild Wynaut (though players can obtain it in other ways like from an egg from Lavaridge) as well as the only Liechi Berry in the game.

'Ever Grande City' (Japanese: サイユウシティ,Saiyū Shiti, Saiyū City in Japanese) consists of two parts: the area before Victory Road, which has a Pokémon Center, and the area after it, which contains the Hoenn Pokémon League building.

The Hoenn Pokémon League is home to the best trainers in Hoenn. Like with previous regions, the player can heal his or her Pokémon, buy items, and challenge the Elite Four. Each member of the Elite Four also specializes in a single type: Sidney uses Dark-types; Phoebe, Ghost-types; Glacia, Ice-types; and Drake, Dragon-types. The Champion is either Steven Stone (Ruby, Sapphire), who uses Steel-types, or Wallace (Emerald), who again, uses Water-types.

The Devon Corporation is very similar to Silph Co. from Kanto, but is the Hoenn equivalent. It is also rumored to run the Pokémarts in Hoenn. Devon Corp. is owned by Mr. Stone, and it plays an important role in the games, allowing the player to receive certain important items and revive fossils into Pokémon. The Devon Corp. headquarters are the target for robbery by Team Aqua and Team Magma. After the player stops their crimes, Mr. Stone will ask the player to deliver a letter to his son Steven Stone, and a Package to Captain Stern, in Slateport City. He will reward the player with his or her Pokénav.

The Rusturf Tunnel is a tunnel between Rustboro City and Verdanturf Town. Its name is a portamanteau of the first and last parts of the two cities that the tunnel joins. In the video games, construction has stopped because of concerns over disturbing the Whismur in the cave. Once the player has the HMRock Smash, he or she can break a rock to open the tunnel up and get the HM Strength.

Granite Cave is an area to the northwest of Dewford Town. In the video games, a hiker at the entrance will give the HM Flash to the player, which can be used to increase vision in the pitch-dark basement (similar to the Rock Tunnel in the Kanto region). The player must go through the cave to deliver a letter to a man named Steven Stone. It is the only place in the games where players may obtain Nosepass.

Meteor Falls is a waterfall-filled cave located near Fallarbor Town. Lunatone can be found here in Sapphire Version and Solrock can be found here in Ruby and Emerald Version.

Though players will initially have to pass through the area early on in the games to save Prof. Cosmo from Team Aqua or Team Magma, the majority of the area is not accessible to players until late in the game, when the HM Waterfall is available. Of interest to trainers is the rare Dragon Pokémon Bagon, which is only found deep inside the caves. Additionally, in Emerald, the player may challenge Steven Stone after defeating the Elite Four.

Mt. Pyre is a Pokémon graveyard, similar to Kanto's Pokémon Tower. It consists of two areas: the inside, a "cave" filled with Pokémon trainers that functions as a graveyard, and the outer mountain, which can be reached by exiting from inside. Mt. Pyre is considered the counterpart of the Cave of Origin (the cave where life begins), as Mt. Pyre is "the place where life ends." Atop the mountain are an old couple who guard two orbs, the Red Orb and Blue Orb. They are the grandparents of Phoebe of the Elite Four.

Mt. Pyre plays a major role in the video games. In Ruby players have to battle with Team Magma members as they steal the Blue Orb to control Groudon, while in Sapphire and Emerald, the player is forced to battle Team Aqua members who are trying to steal the Red Orb to control Kyogre. In Emerald, after Groudon and Kyogre disappear at Sootopolis City, Team Magma leader Maxie and Team Aqua leader Archie return both orbs to their respective perches at the summit of Mt. Pyre, providing closure to the game's main plot.

The Cave of Origin is located at the north end of Sootopolis City. It is guarded by Wallace /Juan of Sootopolis Gym and is said to be a cave where life begins. Its opposite landmark is Mt. Pyre, said to be the place where life ends. Residents of Sootopolis are not permitted to enter the Cave of Origin. The contents of the cave are different in each game: In Ruby and Sapphire, the player finds Groudon or Kyogre, respectively, and must defeat or capture it to proceed. In Emerald, Wallace is inside the Cave of Origin and knows how to stop the scuffle between Kyogre and Groudon.

After performing the necessary steps to quell the ancient Pokémon, players can enter the Gym and battle Wallace (Ruby and Sapphire) or his mentor Juan (Emerald). Both use Water-type Pokémon.

'Victory Road' (Japanese: チャンピオンロード,Chanpion Rōdo, Champion Road in Japanese) is a large cave that leads to the Pokémon League. It holds many trainers aspiring to reach the Pokémon League. During some point in Victory Road, a boy named Wally will catch up to the player and battle. The player originally mentored Wally at the beginning of the game, and Wally has matured into a strong opponent. You can only get there if you have waterfall.

Sky Pillar is an abandoned tower to the northeast of Pacifidlog Town that is home to very strong Pokémon. Though an optional dungeon in Ruby and Sapphire, it plays a major role in Emerald; the player needs to go to Sky Pillar to summon Rayquaza to solve the fight between Kyogre and Groudon in Sootopolis City. When the player reaches the top of Sky Pillar (in Emerald, the second visit), Rayquaza can be fought and captured.

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the 'Battle Tower' (Japanese: バトルタワー,Batoru Tawā) is located on a small island. Its motto is "Win it all and be the best, Trainers!" To access the facility, the player must first defeat the Elite Four, then receive the S.S. Tidal Ticket from the protagonist's father, Norman . After journeying on the newly completed ship, the player will gain the option to visit the Battle Tower.

Several prizes are awarded in the Battle Tower. Aside from the prizes from the original tower, players may also be awarded several hold items which were introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Upon reaching their fiftieth and hundredth victories, players will be awarded shields which can be used to decorate their secret bases.

The Battle Tower rules in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are primarily the same as the Pokémon Emerald Battle Tower, with a few other Pokémon, such as Kyogre and Groudon, added to the list of Pokémon forbidden in the Battle Tower.

In Pokémon Emerald, the Battle Tower is located in the Battle Frontier, and is also accessed after defeating the Elite Four. The Battle Tower's system has been dramatically changed since Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. There are four modes of battle, including Single Battle, Double Battle, Multi Battle, and Link Battle with another player.

Prizes are replaced with Battle Points (BP). Defeating the Frontier Brain will reward the player with an influx of BP. Of the prizes, the shields remain, and other prizes can be purchased for BP elsewhere in the Battle Frontier.

Southern Island can only be unlocked using the Eon Ticket, which can only be obtained in the game from a special event, or by mixing records with someone who has the Ticket. Southern Island is located, as the name suggests, in the south of the region, just west of the Battle Frontier. One cannot Surf to get to the island; instead, they must board the ferry at Lilycove City with an Eon Ticket to get there. The island only exists to enable the player to get both Latias and Latios.

In Pokémon Ruby, Latias will be found on the Southern Island, while in Pokémon Sapphire, Latios will be found instead.

Once you have successfully defeated the Pokémon league, a newsflash will appear on TV saying that a certain color Pokémon was seen in Hoenn (for Pokémon Emerald only). The character's mother will ask if it was red or blue. If you answer red, you find Latias in the wild, and Latios at Southern Island. If you answer blue, Latios appears in the wild and Latias at Southern Island.